You may have noticed that Joaquin Phoenix seems to have lost his way somewhat, in terms of his career, going from Oscar nominated actor to wannabe rap star, yes you heard me right a rap star.
The actor turned singer has waved away the growing number of rumours that he career change was a big publicity stunt claiming that he had turned his back on acting.
Phoenix was born in 1974 and was the third of five children. His parents became members of the religious cult The Children of Cult and travelled around South America. The family returned to the US in 1978.
Phoenix's first acting job came in 1982 when he appeared in two television movies Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and Backwards: The Riddle of Dyslexia.
It was four years later that he made his big screen debut in Space Camp before going on to star in Russkies and Parenthood.
But in 1993 tragedy struck when his older brother River, who had a promising acting career ahead of him, died from a drug overdose outside the Hollywood nightclub The Viper Room with Joaquin present.
His 911 call was played on TV and on the radio and he struggled to cope with all the press attention and he stepped out of the public eye.
He returned to the big screen in 1995 in Gus Van Sant's To Die For, a role which earnt him positive reviews from the critics. He went on to appear U-Turn, The Yards, 8mm and Quills as he tried to rebuild the acting career he had left behind in 1993.
And it was to be his role as Commodus in Ridley Scott's Gladiator that was to turn his entire career around. The role of Commodus, the ambitious son of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, who orders the death of Maximus Decimus Meridius' family and he is enslaved, earnt him his first Oscar nomination.
He lost out to Benicio Del Toro for his role in Traffic but he did scoop the BFCA Critic's Choice Award for Best Supporting Actor as well as picking up nominations at the Baftas and the Golden Globes.
Over the next couple of years he moved between independent movies such as Buffalo Soldiers to the more mainstream releases such as Signs, which grossed over $400 million at the global box office.
2005 brought another high profile lead role in the form of Walk the Line in which he played country legend Johnny Cash.
Another Oscar nomination followed, but this time it was for Best Actor, but he lost out to Philip Seymour Hoffman for his role in Capote, he did however scoop the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Leading Role - Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy.
However since then he hasn't enjoyed major success at the box office with both We Own the Night and Reservation Road, particularly the latter, not doing overly well at the box office.
If his announcement is to be believed Two Lovers, which is released in cinemas this week, is to be the actor's last appearance on the big screen.
The film is his third collaboration with director James Gray and is loosely based on Dostoevsky's "White Nights.
However this might not be Phoenix's last appearance in a movie as he is rumoured to be the subject of a new documentary by Casey Affleck, who just happens to be Phoenix's brother in law, as he makes the move in hip hop... watch this space.
Two Lovers is out now
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw
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